Bloomfield Road Stadium

Blackpool Football Club have called Bloomfield Road their home since 1901, with the ground becoming the 68th stadium in the country to host a Football League game. It gets its name from the road that the main entrance to the ground used to stand on. Other than Bloomfield Road, Blackpool have played their games at two other home grounds. They yoyo-ed between the two locations until finally setting at their current home permanently.

Originally known as Gamble’s Field because of the farmer who owned the land, South Shore originally played at the location during their spell in the Lancashire League. In fact, the ground was officially opened on the 28th of October 1899 when South Shore played against Newton Heath in the FA Cup. There had been a competitive match a week earlier when South Shore went up against the 1st South Lancashire Regiment, but the stadium had not officially opened at that point.

General information

Arena capacity: 17,338 spectators

Address: Bloomfield Rd, Seasiders Way, Blackpool FY1 6JJ, UK

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 53°48′17″N 3°2′53″W

Year of construction: 28 October 1899

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 112 x 74 yards (102.4 x 67.7 metres)

Seating plan of the Stadium

Bloomfield Road has modern stands on three sides with the corners in-between these stands also filled with seating. These three permanent sides are of similar design, being single tiered, all of the same height, seated and covered. The Stanley Matthews (West) Stand on one side of the stadium and the Mortensen Kop (North Stand) at one end, were both opened in 2002.

Behind the main seating in the West Stand and the North West corner, is a hospitality balcony with executive boxes at the rear from the south end to the Directors’ Box at the halfway line, from which point to the North West corner is the Sir Stanley Matthews Hospitality Suite.

The Armfield Stand named in tribute to the Blackpool legend, Jimmy Armfield, was opened in 2010 and is a mirror image of the North Stand at the other end. It has a capacity of 3,600 seats. On the East side of the ground, there is a ‘temporary’ stand, which has now been there since 2010. Although temporary it is of a good size housing some 5,120 fans in a single tier of seating and is also covered.

The only main drawback is that it has a number of supporting pillars running across the front of it. However, for most league matches this remains closed, as there is adequate seating capacity in the rest of the ground for most matchday attendances. Situated in one corner of the ground between the West and South stands is a large video screen.

Outside the stadium, behind the North Stand is a statue of the former Blackpool legend Stan Mortensen, whilst outside the main entrance is a statue of Jimmy Armfield.

Visiting fans

Away fans are housed in the Stan Mortensen (North) Stand, at one end of the ground. Up to 2,500 supporters can be accommodated in this area. For visiting supporters this is an improvement on the East Stand that has been used in previous seasons, as the facilities are generally better and there are no supporting pillars to contend with, meaning that you get a fine view of the action. Food inside ground includes a range of Pies; Meat & Potato, Steak, Cheese & Onion (all £2.50), Sausage Rolls (£2), Cheese Pasties (£2) and Hot Dogs (£3).

Please note that a number of Blackpool Fans are boycotting the Club at this present time, which has resulted in a big drop in matchday attendances. So if you are wondering why the stadium looks quite empty.

Where to buy tickets?

Blackpool keep their ticketing structure nice and easy to understand. The price is the same for every seat in the ground apart from Block M in the West Stand which is a little pricier. Other than that, the only thing that makes a difference to the amount you’ll pay is your age and whether or not you’re a member of the Blackpool Supporters Club. Adult members get a £5 discount on their ticket price, whereas under 19’s get £2 off.

Here are the cheapest and most expensive ticket prices for those who do not have an official membership:

Home Fans

1. Stanley Matthews Stand (Centre): Adults £27, Over 60’s £23, Under 19’s £15.
2. All remaining areas of the ground: Adults £22, Over 60’s £18, Under 19’s £10, Under 11’s Free*.

Away Fans

• Adults £22;
• Over 60’s £18;
• Under 19’s £10;
• Under 11’s Free**.

* Under 11’s have to become a Young Seasiders Club member to qualify.

** When accompanied by a paying adult.

The best way to get tickets for Blackpool matches is by visiting the club’s official website, though you can also call the ticket office if you prefer to deal with a real person than a computer.

How to get there?

Blackpool is technically in Lancashire and for a good while it was one of the most popular seaside towns in the country. It’s also, essentially, home to Lytham St. Annes Golf Club, one of the most prestigious courses in the country. Just don’t tell the residents of Lytham that you think they’re from Blackpool.

Leave the M6 at Junction 32 and take the M55 to Blackpool. Then at the end of the M55 continue straight onto the A5230 and then Yeadon Way towards Blackpool town centre. The ground which is signposted from here, as the road leads into Seasiders Way, you will reach on the right hand side. A huge pay and display car park is located to the left of Seasiders Way, which stretches all the way from near the Blackpool South station up to the ground. It costs £3.50 for three hours or £6 for up to six hours (some of the pay machines also accept credit/debit cards).

Please note that unlike most towns and cities in England the pay and display car parks near to the ground still charge after 6pm. Some visiting fans on my visit assumed that they would be free after 6pm and ended up with a parking ticket. Otherwise street parking (although there are restrictions in the immediate vicinity around the ground).

Parking at St Cuthberts Church

There are 40 parking spaces available in the St Cuthberts Church Car Park in Lytham Road, which is only a five minute walk away from the ground. It is pay-and-display, costing just £3 for three hours, £4 for five hours, or £7 for all day. The Church address: 177 Lytham Road, Blackpool, FY1 6EU.

Post Code for SAT NAV: FY1 6JJ

Train

The closest railway station to the ground is Blackpool South and is around a ten minute walk away. However fewer trains stop at this station with most calling at Blackpool North. Blackpool North Railway Station is around two miles away and therefore you may wish to jump in a taxi to the ground.

For anyone arriving by train at Blackpool North a cheaper alternative than a taxi may be the number 11 bus from the bus station across the road. Buses to Lytham St Annes pass the end of Bloomfield Road and run every 15 minutes. Fans should alight at the Old Bridge House pub (okay for a pint) and walk down Lonsdale Road to the ground.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the Trainline website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets.

Bus

Buses 7, 11 and 14 all run from the centre of Blackpool to the vicinity of the ground, so they’re the ones you’ll need to keep an eye out for if you want to get the bus to the stadium.

Taxi

A taxi from Blackpool North to Bloomfield Road won’t take much longer than five minutes and should cost just under a tenner, as long as you don’t get caught in traffic.

Facilities

Given that most of the stands at Bloomfield Road have been rebuilt fairly recently, the facilities are pretty good. There are places on the concourses to buy food and drink as well as reasonably clean toilets and places to stick a bet on, if that’s your bag.

Hospitality

There are a number of excellent hospitality options available at Bloomfield Road, which is exactly what you’d expect when you remember that the Oyston’s know how to make themselves good money from the club. Here are some of the choices you might want to consider:

• The Stanley Matthews Lounge. The very best hospitality option available at the ground, this lounge is located in The West Lounge and you’ll get a pre-match two-course carvery style dinner as well as half-time and full-time refreshments, access to a pay bar facility and you’ll get to watch the Man Of The Match Presentation.
• Free sports predictions 24 hours a day.
• The 1953 Suite. This is a more relaxed environment than the other lounges at Bloomfield Road, with no strict dress code and the ability to wear your Tangerines’ shirt if you wish to. You’ll get a hot meal, half-time tea and coffee and a seat on the halfway line.
• Executive Boxes. Your own private, exclusive box is a good way to watch any live football event, with the boxes at Bloomfield Road offering excellent views. You’ll get a luxury padded seat on your own balcony as well as a four-course meal, half-time tea and coffee and a cheese board.
• Find out which bookmaker you can get a sign-up bonus from.

Private hire

There is now a 70 bedroom hotel attached to Bloomfield Road and that also includes new conferencing facilities. Whether you’re looking to host dinner dances, seminars, exhibitions, business meetings or even your wedding, the home of Blackpool Football Club is one of the finest conferencing venues in Lancashire.

Pubs & Bars Near Bloomfield Road

Popular with away fans is the Old Bridge House pub on Lytham Road. It is only a short walk away (walk down Bloomfield Road towards the seafront and then turn right into Lytham Road and the pub is down on the right). Just a little further along Lytham Road on the corner with the seafront is the Manchester Bar, which welcomes away fans and wearing colours is not a problem.

This pub has large screens showing Sky Sports and normally has a DJ playing loud music, who tries his best to entertain the visiting fans. However, the bar prices are quite high by Blackpool standards. Also on Lytham Road (but this going in the direction of the Pleasure Beach) is the Albert Pub which normally has a good mix of home and away fans in attendance. This pub also shows BT and Sky Sports.

A good family pub close to the ground is the Waterloo in Waterloo Road – genuinely family friendly except in the games area. Clean, comfortable and friendly; Sky TV on large screens and reasonable, inexpensive food. Only a seven minute walk away from the ground going up Bloomfield Road, is the Bloomfield Brewhouse. It is a civilised place with good beer and reasonable food. It has real ale available, including some beers that it brews itself in its own microbrewery and has Sky Sports.

The Swift Hound pub on Rigby Road near to Bloomfield Road are happy for away supporters to enter. It also does food. This pub which is part of the Greene King ‘Flaming Grill’ chain. It is located on a small retail complex that also has a Frankie & Benny’s outlet.

Another good pub is the called the Auctioneer on Lytham Road, near Blackpool South Station. This former Wetherspoons pub is about a ten minute walk from the ground and serves food too. If you are a fan of Wetherspoons pubs than on the seafront near to the Pleasure Beach is the Velvet Coaster. Opened in 2015 it is the largest Wetherspoons outlet in the country. It is though a good twenty minute walk from Bloomfield Road.

Otherwise, there are plenty of pubs in Blackpool town centre to choose from. Alcohol is also made available to away supporters inside the stadium in the form of; Lager, Bitter and Cider (all £3 pint, or 500ml bottle), plus Wine (Red, White, Rose, 187ml bottle £3).

Bloomfield Road Hotels

As an extremely popular seaside town it’s fair to say that there are a number of excellent hotels and B&Bs available to stay at. Here are some of our favourites reasonably close to the ground:

1. The Rimini – £50+. Address: 31 Wellington Road, Blackpool, FY1 6AR. Within spitting distance of the stadium is this B&B with just six rooms. It’s got free parking and free Wi-Fi, though, so it’s well worth considering if you’re driving to Blackpool.
2. Funky Towers – £70+. Address: 297 Promenade, Lancashire, Blackpool, FY1 6AL. Not only does this place have an amazing name, it’s also got a 5-star rating on Trip Advisor. It’s near to the beach, has a bar and offers a free English breakfast as well as free Wi-Fi. It’s also less than half a mile from Bloomfield Road.
• What can you bet on today? The answer is here.
3. Blackpool FC Hotel and Conference Centre – £115+. Address: Bloomfield Road, Seasiders way, Blackpool, FY1 6JJ. You can’t get closer to the stadium than a hotel that is actually part of it. Blackpool FC’s hotel features a restaurant and bar, a conference centre, a snack bar and deli and a free parking. You’ll also get a free English breakfast and free Wi-Fi.

History

When it first opened the ground was little more than a playing field and a single stand, with the linesman in charge of the side of the pitch having as much trouble keeping the crowd from the playing surface as he had assisting the referee in controlling the game.

The ground has been completely rebuilt over the years since the turn of the new millennium. The Sir Stanley Matthews West Stand was redeveloped with executive boxes added as well as the players’ tunnel, which had previously been in The South Stand. The Jimmy Armfield South Stand was demolished and was not re-opened for a long time after several years of false starts and false promises from the club about the new stands progress.